Doing it by the book

I sat in a restaurant here in Hoi An yesterday, eating a delicious noodle soup, when I saw a young couple walking by. They saw me, looked at the name of the restaurant, and the girl brought up the "bible" she was carrying in her hand. After some scanning, she shook her head, and they carried on walking. The place was not in the guide, and therefore potentially lethal.
When I was a freshman traveller, there was one thing I never did. I never stayed in any hotel unless it was in "the Guide". Lonely Planet was the "bible" of travelling. All other hotels were dangerous, terrible and full of bedbugs. Same for the restaurants. I have later learned that they are not. Most of them are just as good, and some even better, than the ones in the guide.
It is easy to understand why people follow the guide to the letter. It is like the michelin guide. Someone has been there and rated the place. You don't have to be disappointed. You can go directly to the "incredible value, clean and friendly" place. I realized after a while that some of the places knew they were in the guide, and exploited it to the max. Some of these have upped their prices to ridiculous levels. Some have just let their quality drop. They know that as long as their name appears in the guide, 'packers will come. In our modern world, everyone knows who is in the guide and not. And hotels and restaurants are sure to place a big note outside their spot "recommended by Lonely Planet". They know this is like honey. 'packers will buzz around.
I often find that hotels and restaurants that are not in any guide are often better. They strive to gain a piece of the market, and the last thing they need, is a bad reputation. Hence their service and quality tends to be higher. One good thing, though, is that the guides will give you a sence of price level. And they have quite useful maps showing where the sights and action is.
So far, I have only stayed in one "recommended" place here in Vietnam. And it is the worst place I have stayed in. It was cheap, in every meaning of the word.
So if you ever go backpacking, resist the temptation of doing it by the book. Let it be a guide, not a bible. And you will have a much better trip. Believe me.

Ragnar
Black belt travelling.